Ivanhoe Electric to Deploy Advanced Tunnel Boring Machine at Arizona Copper Project
Ivanhoe Electric invests $64.7m in tunnel boring technology for Santa Cruz copper project development in Arizona
US minerals exploration company Ivanhoe Electric plans to acquire a purpose-built Crossover XRE tunnel boring machine (TBM) and integrated materials handling system for development of the Santa Cruz copper project in Arizona, at a cost of approximately $64.7 million.
The equipment will be supplied by US tunnelling technology company The Robbins Company, which recently repurchased the machine from Anglo American.
The TBM was previously used at Anglo American’s Grosvenor coal mine in Queensland, Australia, where it completed two decline tunnels totalling 1.8 kilometres in about 1,000 underground operating hours.
Ivanhoe Electric chairperson Robert Friedland said the machine is well suited to the geological conditions at Santa Cruz and will help reduce mine development risks while supporting the project’s long-term expansion potential.
The Santa Cruz project is being developed as a large-scale producer of 99.99%-pure copper cathode in the United States, targeting supply for industrial, technology, and defence-related demand.
According to Ivanhoe Electric, the Robbins TBM is capable of operating through hard rock, wet ground, and mixed geological conditions within a single excavation drive, reducing the need for costly equipment changes and improving operational safety.
The machine also features earth pressure balance technology designed to manage groundwater inflows and maintain tunnel stability in complex geological zones.
During tunnel development, the TBM will install a continuous steel-reinforced concrete lining to create a permanent decline structure suitable for long-term mining operations.
The purchase agreement includes a major refurbishment and technology upgrade of the 9.3-metre-diameter machine, including a rebuilt cutterhead manufactured in Ohio and modifications tailored to conditions at Santa Cruz.
Delivery and assembly of the TBM at the Arizona site are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with decline development scheduled to start in the third quarter of the same year.
The machine is designed to excavate a 4-kilometre decline tunnel in approximately 12 months. Ivanhoe Electric expects underground mine development to begin in the third quarter of 2028, with first oxide copper ore placed on heap leach pads later that year.
Initial copper cathode production from the Santa Cruz project is currently targeted for the second quarter of 2029.
